When things go wrong, have a cup of tea. If things are going great, have a cup of tea. In any given situation, have a cup of tea. Sometimes it is so important to physically sit yourself down and have a cup of tea.
While struggling to come up with a topic for this week’s blog post I decided to boil the kettle and make myself a nice mug of green tea, avoiding coffee for once in my life to give my stomach a break. Don’t be fooled I am no health freak.
As I was waiting for the kettle to boil I proceeded to empty the dishwasher, put away one load of washing that was hanging on the airer and hang the load that had finished in the machine up to dry. All of this was done in such a rush trying to beat the click of the boiled kettle.
I then made my tea as quickly as I could pour and took it straight upstairs to its usual position on my desk and started to work, leaving little room to breathe in the process.
It was in this moment that I came up with the topic that I am going to write about this week – the importance of a nice cup of tea.
Not only do I love tea but the whole process of drinking a warm beverage usually requires you to stop and be still, at least for the seconds that you’re sipping. This is why I have used the example of having a cup of tea to basically say – STOP. Sometimes we forget to in this modern chaos that we call life and it is so important.
What should have happened in the scenario I am describing seeing as I had just finished a busy six hour shift at work was that I should have made my cup of tea calmly, paused while waiting for the kettle to boil, sat down on my comfy sofa in my cosy living room and enjoyed every sip. I should have simply enjoyed the process of stopping for a fifteen minute period to have my cup of tea.
Life these days is mad and we are constantly fighting the ticking clock to get every task completed that we set ourselves. I am the worst for overloading work into a period of time that is too short for the amount I plan and I kick myself if I don’t get it all done, never even considering time for a short break.
However, stopping for that tiny period of time within our days to savor the moment of having a cup of tea will help no end. Deliberating over things while you wait for it to cool down a little, or if you’re me and a little pathetic with heat, then a lot. Enjoying every sip and a deep breath after. Loving the fact that you’ve actually stopped and not feeling guilty because it will only ever be for half an hour, max.
Not only does this process have the obvious benefits of hydrating you and warming you up especially during the winter months which are rapidly creeping upon us, but it helps psychologically in that people are proven to feel better after a nice cuppa. There are so many benefits to all kinds of tea and it’s surprising how a small amount of time spent physically stopping can refresh you more than you would think.
Next time you’re boiling the kettle, forget all tasks that need to be done for the time being and make sure you sit, with your cup of tea and enjoy. Appreciate the rare moment of physically stopping.
(I really need to take some of my own advice).